Nevertheless, this stands as a valuable inside peek into a marginalized culture.
Sibling rivalry is complicated by conflicting cultures in this realistic novel of a hearing girl and her deaf sister.
Most of 12-year-old Jade’s family can’t hear. Her parents, one set of grandparents and older sister Marla are all deaf and so belong to a world she can never truly inhabit. This hasn’t apparently caused much difficulty for Jade, but as her relationship with Marla becomes more contentious, the frustrations between them are amplified by this fundamental difference. McElfresh uses alternating first-person narration by Marla and Jade to tell the story. She works hard to give readers an authentic glimpse of deaf culture, including a subplot about a protest at Gallaudet University, along with descriptions of the girls’ experiences at home, on the softball field and on a brief but momentous family vacation. Brilliantly, Marla’s sections are written as if they are transcriptions of American Sign Language. (Unfortunately this interesting and creative approach could backfire, as some readers may not recognize this and will assume that Marla is incapable of using standard English grammar.) The potential impact and appeal are diluted by underdeveloped secondary characters and a plot that too often feels contrived. McElfresh’s intentions are clearly positive, as is the message she conveys; unfortunately her purpose is so obvious that it may threaten its ability to reach and enlighten young readers.
Nevertheless, this stands as a valuable inside peek into a marginalized culture. (Fiction. 10-14)Pub Date: Dec. 1, 2012
ISBN: 978-1-60898-126-7
Page Count: 122
Publisher: Namelos
Review Posted Online: Oct. 30, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2012
Evocations of Narnia are not enough to salvage this fantasy, which struggles with thin character development.
A portal fantasy survivor story from an established devotional writer.
Fourteen-year-old Eva’s maternal grandmother lives on a grand estate in England; Eva and her academic parents live in New Haven, Connecticut. When she and Mum finally visit Carrick Hall, Eva is alternately resentful at what she’s missed and overjoyed to connect with sometimes aloof Grandmother. Alongside questions of Eva’s family history, the summer is permeated by a greater mystery surrounding the work of fictional children’s fantasy writer A.H.W. Clifton, who wrote a Narnialike series that Eva adores. As it happens, Grandmother was one of several children who entered and ruled Ternival, the world of Clifton’s books; the others perished in 1952, and Grandmother hasn’t recovered. The Narnia influences are strong—Eva’s grandmother is the Susan figure who’s repudiated both magic and God—and the ensuing trauma has created rifts that echo through her relationships with her daughter and granddaughter. An early narrative implication that Eva will visit Ternival to set things right barely materializes in this series opener; meanwhile, the religious parable overwhelms the magic elements as the story winds on. The serviceable plot is weakened by shallow characterization. Little backstory appears other than that which immediately concerns the plot, and Eva tends to respond emotionally as the story requires—resentful when her seething silence is required, immediately trusting toward characters readers need to trust. Major characters are cued white.
Evocations of Narnia are not enough to salvage this fantasy, which struggles with thin character development. (author’s note, map, author Q&A) (Religious fantasy. 12-14)Pub Date: Jan. 30, 2024
ISBN: 9780593194454
Page Count: 384
Publisher: WaterBrook
Review Posted Online: Oct. 21, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2023
Well-educated American boys from privileged families have abundant options for college and career. For Chiko, their Burmese counterpart, there are no good choices. There is never enough to eat, and his family lives in constant fear of the military regime that has imprisoned Chiko’s physician father. Soon Chiko is commandeered by the army, trained to hunt down members of the Karenni ethnic minority. Tai, another “recruit,” uses his streetwise survival skills to help them both survive. Meanwhile, Tu Reh, a Karenni youth whose village was torched by the Burmese Army, has been chosen for his first military mission in his people’s resistance movement. How the boys meet and what comes of it is the crux of this multi-voiced novel. While Perkins doesn’t sugarcoat her subject—coming of age in a brutal, fascistic society—this is a gentle story with a lot of heart, suitable for younger readers than the subject matter might suggest. It answers the question, “What is it like to be a child soldier?” clearly, but with hope. (author’s note, historical note) (Fiction. 11-14)
Pub Date: July 1, 2010
ISBN: 978-1-58089-328-2
Page Count: 288
Publisher: Charlesbridge
Review Posted Online: May 31, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2010
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